A treetop and forest fire broke out in Eshtaol Forest between Mesilat Zion and Neve Shalom in the Judean Hills on Wednesday morning, Israel’s Fire and Rescue Authority reported.
Around 50 fire crews and 10 firefighting planes and a helicopter have been deployed to extinguish the blaze.
The authority noted that strong winds in the area are contributing to the rapid spread of the fire.
Police forces from the Mateh Yehuda Regional Council station are currently working to evacuate nearby Neve Shalom.
A fire breaks out in the Judean Hills (Maariv)
Risk of fire spreading
KKL-JNF fire brigades are also on the scene, trying to contain the fire from spreading towards the settlements.
The public is urged to stay away from the area.
The forecasted strong winds have led to discussions as to whether the torch-lighting at Israel’s Independence Day ceremony should be canceled.
A final decision is expected in the afternoon, following consultations with the Meteorological Service.
The wildfire comes just a week after a massive wildfire event in the same area which consumed about 10,000 dunams (2,470 acres) of natural forest, woodland, and open area.
Eshtaol Forest comprises around 12,000 dunams of land (4.5 square miles) near Beit Shemesh. To the eats of the forest is Forest of the Martyrs, which was planted as a memorial to those who died in the Holocaust and contains six million trees, symbolizing the six million Jews who were killed.
